Jay-Z on the George Zimmerman Verdict

Many have spoken out against the unfortunate not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman, who was on trial for killing 17-year-old unarmed Trayvon Martin. From the president of the United States to Stevie Wonder, people have expressed a range of emotions on not only the verdict but also the issue of race, which has been at the forefront of the tragedy from the very beginning.

Aside from his appearance at last Saturday's Trayvon Martin rally in New York City, and dedicating his song "Forever Young" during performances on his Legends of the Summer tour with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z has not yet discussed his feelings about the verdict. But in a recent video interview with Elliott Wilson at Life+Times' The Truth, he opened up about what he thought of the verdict and what made Trayvon's killing sad and unnecessary.

I was really angry. I didn't sleep for two days. The thing that we all knew is there's still a bit of racism in, but for it to be so blatant it's like ...

If you just ask yourself the question, Didn't Trayvon have a right to stand his ground? He was being chased and he fought back. He may have won. That doesn't mean he's a criminal. He won. If you chase me and try to attack me and I defend myself, how can I be in the wrong? How is that right?